Fireflies
belong to the family Lampyridae and are members of the largest order in the
insect kingdom, Coleoptera. Lampyrids have fascinated man for centuries and have
become part of his mythology, folklore, fashion, medicine and literature. The
feature that makes fireflies attract the interest of scientists and appeal to
even the most casual observer, and the one which earns them their name, is their
ability to produce a fascinating display of light. This light is used as a means
of sexual communication between the males and females of a particular species.
Each species is known to develop its own mating signal to avoid being confused
with other species in the same vicinity and each species also differs in the
colour and pattern of its light, the length of its flash, whether it is
displayed in flight or upon resting on the ground or on the trees.
The
recent interest in fireflies in Peninsular Malaysia stems from the thriving
“firefly industry” in Kampong Kuantan, which is top on the domestic and
foreign tourists’ “not to be missed” list. To date, there are numerous
scattered reports and anecdotal observations of firefly sightings in several
mangrove forests in Peninsular Malaysia, but no literature is available on
specific firefly species and its interactions within its habitat. The lack of
recorded reports and scientific documents on the number of species and their
preferred habitat has hampered numerous past and on-going conservation efforts
to protect these fireflies and preserve their habitats from man-made
catastrophes.
This study is carried
out to observe and compile a checklist of firefly species found throughout the
thirteen states in Peninsular Malaysia. Field surveys were carried out in 1997,
1998 and 1999 to numerous areas and adult and larval specimens were collected
and identified by the coleopterists at the Natural History Museum in London.
Although this study attempts a beginning to this topic, it is nevertheless
incomplete due to constraints in manpower and funds, and should be treated as a
preliminary report. Our results indicate that in Peninsular Malaysia, there are
four major groups of fireflies, the
Pteroptyx, Luciola,
Colophotia
and
Lychnuris.
